1. The Works of James Marcia and Kalup Linzy
Exploring Identity
The Works of James Marcia and
Kalup Linzy

2. Preview
Imagine that your life has been chosen as the subject of an upcoming television show…
Who are the main characters? What role do they play?

3. Identity Development Key to adolescent development
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4. James Marcia’s View of Identity Crisis
Identity crisis occurs because individuals must make commitments on important matters such as occupation, religion, politics, etc.

5. Marcia’s Four Stages to Achieve Identity
#1 Identity Moratorium:
A stage in which one is exploring identity issues
People seriously consider various issues, but do not make a commitment on the choices presented to them
Ask students: In what ways have your friends and family supported your own exploration of identity issues?
Optional: define “moratorium”: a temporary prohibition of an activity. Why do you think Marcia called this stage an identity moratorium?

6. Identity Moratorium Crisis / No Commitment
Cady Heron, from the feature film Mean Girls, explores various identities throughout the film, including: mathlete, plastic, homeschooler, and “art freak”.

7. Marcia’s Four Stages to Achieve Identity
#2: Identity Foreclosure:
A stage in which one has made a firm commitment on the choices, but at the influence of others
Ask students: In what ways have your friends and family supported your own exploration of identity issues?
Optional: define “moratorium”: a temporary prohibition of an activity. Why do you think Marcia called this stage an identity moratorium?

8. Identity Foreclosure No Crisis / Commitment
Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series has his path chosen for him, for example his attendance at Hogwarts and membership in the house of Slytherin. Throughout the series, Malfoy’s behaviors are motivated by a desire to gain approval from his father.

9. Marcia’s Four Stages to Achieve Identity
#3: Identity Confused or Diffused:
A stage in which one has no clear sense of identity and have not yet explored identity issues
Ask students: In what ways have your friends and family supported your own exploration of identity issues?
Optional: define “moratorium”: a temporary prohibition of an activity. Why do you think Marcia called this stage an identity moratorium?

10. Identity Confusion or Diffusion
No Crisis / No Commitment
Joey from the television sitcom Friends jumps from job to job and relationship to relationship with no clear sense of commitment or apparent anxiety.

11. Marcia’s Four Stages to Achieve Identity
#4: Identity Achievement:
A stage in which one has considered many choices and final decision has been made freely
Explain to students:
You can be at different stages with different issues
The stages do not necessarily go in order
Typically, a period of moratorium, or exploration occurs prior to identity achievement

12. Identity Achievement Crisis / Commitment
Katniss Everdeen, from The Hunger Games book series and film trilogy, challenges the leaders of Panem and through many trials and tribulations achieves her identity as the mockingjay.

13. (Introducing Kaye) Romantic Loner (2013)

15. Kalup Linzy
After visual analysis, provide a brief background on Linzy:
Artist, Kalup Linzy, was raised in Stuckey, Florida, in a close-knit rural community by his late grandmother Georgianna Linzy, who was a seamstress, and was also deaf, and also by his aunt Diane McMullen, who was an evangelist and domestic worker and his uncle, Isaiah McMullen, who was a minister, and is retired from the railroad.

16. Conversations with de Churen X: One Life to Heal, 2013
Students should pay special attention to themes of identity development. After viewing, ask students:
What is going on in the clip?
In what way does the artist address identity development?

17. As Da Art World Might Turn, 2013
In the following scene from As Da Art World Might Turn, Katonya is working on a piece of art for an exhibition at an art gallery. She receives musical encouragement from Kaye
After viewing, ask students:
What is going on in the clip?
In what way does the artist address identity development?

18. Queen Rose Family Tree, 2014-2015
In the previous video clip, the character Katonya is working on the Queen Rose Family Tree. This project is a photo collage on paper featuring the characters that have appeared in Linzy’s video and performance work. Like characters on traditional soap operas, Linzy’s characters share a genealogy.

19. Process: Think-Write-Pair-Share
Consider the television show of your life discussed at the beginning of the lesson:
After viewing the ways in which Kalup Linzy has expressed various identities, would you express the identity of yourself and your main characters in the same way?
Kalup Linzy expresses the identity development of his characters in soap opera-inspired performance pieces, What genre of television show would best fit with the identities of yourself and your main characters? (e.g. soap opera, sitcom, prime-time drama, comedy, etc.)